


Time Of Our Life

by karmanisms



Category: Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020)
Genre: All three couples need equal love and attention, Bakery, Bollywood, Everyone's gay, F/F, Family Fluff, Fluff, Found Family is my favorite trope and what about it?, M/M, Romance, Soulmates, The plot doesn't revolve around the soulmate thingy though, We do not pick favorites in this household
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:48:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25691593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karmanisms/pseuds/karmanisms
Summary: Sometimes a family is a writer in a complicated relationship with  his craft; his elder sister who runs a bakery with her crush; said crush being a whole sweetheart and her young adult nephew who wonders if anyone's family can ever get crazier than his. It's them against the world.
Relationships: Kartik Singh/Aman Tripathi, Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Time Of Our Life

**Author's Note:**

> I'm lichrally buzzing with excitement right now because I love my OCs in this fic so much, along with Karman, and I hope y'all will love them too because, let's face it- they are ADORABLE AF AND DESERVE THE WORLD
> 
> (chapter title : time of our life - Day6)
> 
> PS - Watch me try and title each chapter based on a Day6 song just cause I can 👁️👅👁️ and y'all can then listen to those songs while reading it, just cause TASTE

Kavin's classes were supposed to start a little later than usual that day. There are times like these that Kavin is always grateful for. Having extra time to himself amidst his hectic schedule always helps him breathe better.

The weather condition outside serves as the perfect kind for sleeping in. The closed curtains deflect the sunlight's path, and cast a shadow. The cool breeze accompanied by the rustling of the fleshy tree outside his window replicated the feeling of a chilly winter morning.

His body wrapped up like a burrito under the covers, wriggles around a little until he's comfortably lying on his stomach. His loose t-shirt rides higher as he writhes around on his stomach a little. He feels the soft sheets touch his exposed stomach.

Tufts of his messy head of soft curls fall before his eyes and tickle the bridge of his nose as he shakes his head a little to clear them away from his eyes. His aunt constantly nags at him to get a haircut because she thinks his curls are getting wild. The truth is, his curls are quite soft- almost close to being more wavy than curly, but everyone knows how mums tend to exaggerate.

The clock on his bedside table ticks at a steady pace but it is left forgotten by Kavin as the boy closes his eyes and tries to fall back into his deep slumber. He feels himself slowly slipping further in rhythm with the ticking.

A few random keys on a piano being played somewhere faintly resonate in Kavin's ears. It progresses into a soft melody with an effortless flow. If Kavin were to name a colour that he'd like to associate with the music, it would be the lightest hue of blues, the kind that feels like it's a comforting hug from a loved one. The two things have the same serenity in common.

The tranquillity hauled in by the music resounding from tender fingers lightly dancing against the piano keys leaves a soothing trace of satisfaction on him. It makes him feel calm in the face of the chaotic day that's about to set in.

Any other time, the peaceful chords entangling with his heartstrings would've easily lulled him to sleep, but not right now. Why would he miss the opportunity to feel the presence of his soulmate- smack at the start of his day?

He feels rejuvenated. He should be annoyed at the fact that his soulmate is stomping all over his much needed sleep, but he can't find it in him to be mad at them. After all, he has missed listening to them play.

Kavin is still kind of unable to believe his fate. Soulmates in this era aren't as common as a few decades ago. They're almost a rarity. The fact that he was able to connect with his soulmate at such an early point in his life is a miracle in itself since Kavin doesn't believe in love.

Not everyone is able to find their soulmate, and that's alright. There isn't a law or a compulsion of any kind for everyone to be together with their soulmates. No one has ever died just because they haven't met their soulmate till the end of time. It doesn't rot the soul nor does it weaken the flesh.

His aunt is still a single mother after all these years. Kartik seems like the kind of guy anyone would love having around them, yet, he has never seen him date anyone. His sister, Anika has also been single for the longest time. Kavin was mostly closed off and wary of the idea of love. He had sort of made do with his fate. He'd be okay without a soulmate, just like the trio. 

Around a month ago, he began to hear the sound of a piano during evenings. On the weekends, during ungodly hours of the day, Kavin would wake up to them aggressively playing an upbeat tune. The person sounded skilled. Kavin could go on listening to them for hours, but sadly Kavin's soulmate continued playing it for hours, but he would sometimes be cut off mid-song.

It is unusual for them to play it in the morning on usual weekdays, in fact, Kavin thinks today is the first weekday where he hears his soulmate play soulful ballad music. 

Another thing, Kavin doesn't know their name yet. The thing with soulmates is, once they share the initial connection, they can practically have a conversation with each other in their head. It does consume a lot of energy to obtain and sustain that bridge by means of which the two can share their thoughts though.

The initial connection can be in any form. It could be an image projected onto the soulmate's vision, a sentence spoken to them, or a word/phrase appearing on their hand which disappears with time. It could be anything.

Once the action is reciprocated by the soulmate, their bond feels stronger and can have small conversations in their head. Not too long though, because it can be very consuming.

That initial connection came to Kavin in the middle of him having dinner with his family. He was finishing his glass of juice, if we talk about the precise moment. 

Everything fell silent. He could see his aunt and Anika talk right before him. Kartik was busy watching TV in the living room. One moment, the sound of the TV was at max volume, and the next, everything sounded muted.

Their lips moving while they spoke with grand gestures showed Kavin that his aunt and Anika were still actually conversing, but he could no longer hear them. The silence was almost deafening and Kavin broke into a cold sweat.

A single key note being played, contrasted against the silence. The music started slow and shaky, like the player was unsure of themself. Soon it progressed into one of the most beautiful pieces Kavin has ever heard in his lifetime. 

It made Kavin's slight panicking heart slowly ease into a more calm pace. A soft smile bloomed on Kavin's face as he patiently listened to music making love to his ears. He felt like he was lost in paradise, and an angel would soon chaperone him around.

When the person halted their playing, Kavin tried sending a 'Hi' their way. He waited for a good few minutes to hear their voice reply, but it never came. Till date, Kavin hasn't heard their voice yet. At first Kavin believed that they're probably shy, which is valid.

It doesn't seem the same now. It has been weeks now, but Kavin hasn't been able to communicate with them. All he witnesses is the music. Maybe he should stop stressing over it and let everything roll out organically.

Until that happens, Kavin is ready to patiently let them take their time, as he enjoys the one-sided interaction. As the music stops altogether, Kavin hops out of bed and stretches his limbs for good measure.

A toothy grin automatically makes its way on his face as he tries to recall the melody he woke up to this morning. It feels like a breath of fresh air against the dry week he has had recently without the piano solos of his soulmate being there to keep him company.

He gathers a fresh set of clothes for the day and heads straight to the bathroom to freshen up for the day with a newfound vigour.

\----

Kavin doesn't usually like being driven to his uni by Kartik. He whines at Kartik, telling him that he needs to stop trying to baby him so much now that he's all grown up. Kartik's standard counter argument is that he wasn't around during Kavin's childhood, so it's valid for him to coddle him now.

Kartik and his sister, Anika entered Kavin's life only a few years ago, but now they're just like family to him. Well, given the fact that he doesn't have much of a family remaining other than his aunt Kiara, Kartik and Anika are always there to fill that void.

Sure, they aren't related by blood or anything, but the four of them are an irreplaceable part of each other's life now. To the world it may seem like they're only business partners that jointly own s bakery and live under the same roof as owner-paying guests, but to them, it's a bond that runs much deeper than that.

When Kartik watches Kavin skip his way down the stairs that day, he had just got out of his room and he was about to leave for the bakery. Anika would be returning home soon, and Kartik is supposed to fill in for her, for the time being.

Kartik isn't very keen on the whole baking business. He usually helps out at the cash register if and when Anika or Kiara ask him for help. He is a writer and not a baker, and he prefers to keep it that way, thank you very much.

Anika is usually the one who stays at the bakery and looks after it the whole day. The only time you'll see her not at the bakery on a working day is on those rare days when Kiara falls ill. 

Despite the fact that Anika isn't a mother yet, she instantly goes into mother hen mode the moment she realises Kiara is sick or hurt. She drops all her responsibilities and runs straight to Kiara when that happens.

Today happens to be one such day. Anika left for the bakery just like any usual day. On checking Anika's text telling her she's unwell, she instantly dialled Kartik's number and gave him strict instructions to look after her until she returns home. So now, Kartik is supposed to fill in for her.

Sometimes it's a little hilarious how despite the fact that Kiara and Anika are of the same age, Anika tends to be very protective of Kiara as if she's younger. Kusum always teases Anika because of it, which makes her turn red in the face. Kartik doesn't think it's something to be embarrassed of, but Kusum shuts him and calls him too innocent to understand.

"You want me to drop you off on my bike?" 

Kavin contemplates the offer for a moment and then nonchalantly shrugs his shoulders as a response. He skips his way out the door with soft humming under his breath, Kartik follows soon after with his keys in hand.

The ride to Kavin's uni is mostly silent. They reach there in no time. Kavin unclasps the helmet around his head and returns it to Kartik. He fixes his hair properly in the mirror and grins at Kartik.

"Thanks for the ride. I'll get going now."

Without waiting for Kartik's response, he quickly turns and leaves, and soon disappears out of Kartik's sight. 

Kartik isn't usually the last person to see Kavin off before he gets out of the house to get to his uni, but Kartik is still very confident that he isn't usually in a good mood when he leaves to get to his uni.

Well, whatever it is that caused him to smile so bright, Kartik hopes his good mood stays constant throughout the day. With that thought in mind, Kartik revs his engine to life again and drives off in the direction of the bakery. 

The traffic slows him down for quite some time, but Kartik manages to reach the bakery right as Kusum finishes her lunch and turns the over the board saying 'Open'.

"Did mama hen leave already?" Kartik makes his way to the cash register. "Mama? More like girlfriend hen!" Kusum counters, leaving Kartik slightly confused. "I don't know what you're referencing here, but um...okay I guess?"

___

Anika enters Kiara's room with the soup in a tray. As soon as Kiara catches a generous waft of the scrumptious chicken soup, she jolts up in bed and makes grabby hands. Anika carefully lays it down on the bedside table and searches for the thermometer in her medicine cabinet.

"I'm fine, I swear," Kiara whines from where she's sitting on the bed. "Ahh, there!" Anika holds the thermometer in her hand and walks over to Kiara's bed. She plops down on an empty spot.

"Says the one who looks like a cute burrito trying to work her way out of taking medicines with a pleading pout," Anika retorts, her hands folded across the front as she tries to appear stern. In times like these, Anika finds it difficult to stand her ground and remain stern. 

Kiara sheepishly giggles and lets Anika have her way. "Okay, I guess you were right. Your temperature isn't very high," Anika observes, her eyebrows knot in confusion.

"It's just that my stomach felt all weird and my body ached a little. But then Kartik helped with getting the tablets for the pain and now I'm alright. I think it's just that I need to rest a little extra. It's not easy being 32," Kiara explains.

"Do you even know how worried I was?" 

"I specifically told Kusum not to tell you I'm ill when I called, but I knew you'd somehow rat it out of her. You worried your pretty little head over nothing."

Anika gets closer to the bowl left untouched and nudged it towards Kiara. "Eat up," she says. 

"Feed me?" There's no way Anika can ever resist Kiara's puppy eyes. Her pleading face can easily give the shining pleading eyes given by any anime character, a run for their money. It turns Anika into a soft mush who'll be at Kiara's beck and call.

"Fine." Anika groans. She blows on the soup a little and then proceeds to feed Kiara a spoonful of her favourite soup. As soon as Kiara gulps down a few spoonfuls of it, she moans with ecstasy. Her reaction makes Anika go red in the face and she averts her eyes.

Kiara was so engrossed in finishing her bowl of soup that she doesn't realise how her moans and groans affect her. Anika wants to bang her head against the wall for blushing like a school girl with a crush. Luckily, Kiara with her large appetite, manages to wipe the bowl cleaner within a few minutes and Kiara is finally able to breathe properly again.

She sets the bowl aside, and heaves a sigh of relief. Kiara scoots over to one side of her bed and pats the space next to her. "Cuddles?" Her voice goes all soft and mellow.

Kiara's childish and clingy nature when she feels unwell is simultaneously a blessing and a curse. She hangs from Anika's side when Anika stops by to look after her and constantly asks to be showered with affection. Her level of adorableness for a woman in her early 30s sky-rockets when she's tired, and God, does Anika feel like pampering her when that happens.

The downside to it is that Anika has to constantly remind herself not to get too indulgent with the affection or else she's going to get her heart broken. She knows she shouldn't have ever made the mistake of falling for a woman whose sexuality she's unsure of, but there are certain things that you just can't control no matter the circumstances.

Kiara patiently waits for Anika to trudge over to her with open arms. Anika gets under the duvet and gets comfortable next to her. Instantly, Kiara shifts closer to Anika and cuddles up to her, with her head pressed to Anika's chest. 

Anika heaves a blissful sigh at the warmth radiating from her. She wraps one arm around Kiara. Her fingers thread through the loose strands of Kiara's wavy hair and drops a kiss on the crown of Kiara's head- a gesture that isn't very uncommon between the two of them whenever they cuddle. 

"What would I do without you!'' Kiara whispers. She lifts her eyes and stares up at Anika.

Anika feels her breath get caught in her throat at the intensity of those chocolate brown orbs staring into her soul. Anika gulps.

"You'd be just fine," Anika replies shyly. 

Kiara doesn't speak any further. They let silence envelope them as Kiara tuck's her head under Anika's chin and closes her eyes again. They enjoy each other's company.


End file.
